A story set one year before Fire on the Mountain.

Baldric's Day — One of the biggest national celebrations in the Gryphon Confederacy. There are few like it, but this day is special in every gryph's eyes.

But this year, in the little hamlet of Talon's Reach, the celebrations go awry as a terrible crime befalls the town: The death of their beloved mayor, Tala Whitetalon. At first, the murder is seen as happenstance, committed by a crazy gryphon with no love for his mother. However, as the investigation goes deeper, terrible truths expose themselves, leading to a sinister explanation.